Centering or scaffolding.



A. G. PIERCE.

CENTERING 0R SCAFFOLDING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4. 1910.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES firm, INVENTOR THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTc-LlTHO.. WASHlNGlun, u. u.

A. G. PIERCE.

CENTERING 0R SCAFFOLDING. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4. 1910.

1,136,7l%. Pa ented Apr. 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES llVl/E/VTOR ATTO 7HE NORRIS PETERS co PHDTO-LITHO., WASHING roNv D. C.

.AIDIN Gr. PIERCE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CENTERING 0R SCAFFOLDING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

Application filed November 4, 1910.. Serial N 0. 590,633.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADIN G. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and

tate of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centering or Scafiolding, of which the following is a specification.

This invention aims to provide certain improvements especially adapted for the temporary scafiolding or centering which is commonly used in laying concrete floors between metal girders and beams. In this work it is customary to first erect joists or to suspend such joists from overhead, in the manner shown for example in my previous Patent No. 800,878, October 3rd, 1905; upon which joists is laid a temporary flooring for the support of the concrete until the latter sets. In this class of floors it is customary also to incase in concrete the lower flanges of the girders which project below the general level of the underside of the floor.

The present improvement is designed especially to facilitate the erection and support of a box about the lower portions of such girders, or of any girders or beams in similar situations.

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a girder and beams with a boxing arranged around the projecting lower portion of the girder. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another style of boxing and hanger applied to the lower portions of a double girder. Figs. 3 to 9, inclusive are vertical sections transverse to the length of the girder showing difl'erent forms and applications of the invention.

Referring now to the embodiments of the invention illustrated, the girder A, Fig. 1, has beams B and C attached in any usual or suitable way (the attachments being omitted. for the sake of clearness) to the upper part of its web and joists D and E for the temporary flooring are supported with their upper edges slightlybelow the beams by means of loops F suspended from a clip F resting upon the top of the beams. The girders support the beams and thus support also the joists and other false work. The joists, however, may be supported in any other known or suitable way. They are, located alongside of the lower part of the girder, spaced slightly therefrom, and extending below the girder to a distance corresponding to the depth of concrete to be placed under the girder and extending farther to any convenient distance below the base of the protecting concrete. The girders and beams are usually of rolled steel, but, for the purposes of this invention, may be of any other suitable material. A bottom board G extends between the joists D and E to form a temporary floor for the concrete under the girder. The joists D and E may be the regular joists used for the temporary flooring D or may be special joists designed only for boxing in the lower part of the girder.

For supporting the bottom board G there is provided a hanger comprising a strap or bar of metal having a central portion H lying under and supporting the bottom board, vertical side portions J, K extending from the central portion I-I upward to the level of the tops of the joists D and E and hooks L overlying the upper edges of the joists; and preferably also having the hooks extended and bent downward as at M over the opposite sides of the joists. A number of hangers are arranged at suitable intervals along the side of the girder as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The joists being in place it is a simple matter to set the bottom board. The board with the hangers properly located thereon may be introduced upward between the joists, spreading the latter or bending the vertical arms of the hanger slightly inward to permit the latter to pass between the joists; the board being first pushed up slightly higher than necessary to permit the hooks L to be brought over the tops of the joists D andE and then being lowered to correct position. Or where the space around the lower flange of the girder permits, the hangers may be first hooked over the joists, and the bottom board dropped into place edgewise along the side of the girder in a vertical position and turned to a horizontal position and dropped upon the hangers. To facilitate this more of introduction of the bottom board it may be made in two or more pieces as shown at G, G and G Fig. 2. Ordinarily it will be most convenient to arrange the bottom board entirely between the two joists, but where the depths and positions of the joists permit it, the bottom board may extend not only between, but also underneath the loweredges of the joists as shown in Fig. 9. It is an advantage, how

ever, to be able to use joists of any depths which may be handy or in stock and with such joists the bottom board will be located entirely between them and its height will be determined by the lengths of the vertical portions J and K of the hangers.

Where a double girder A, "A is employed, as in Fig. 9., a single bottom board may be employed or a number of boards G, G G and the bottom boards and hangers may be applied in any of the ways previously described, or by first setting the hangers and then introducing the boards edgewise through the space between the two girders. In this construction I have shown certain modifications of the hanger which are applicable also to the embodiments of the'invention shown in the other figures,

namely, the locating of the vertical portions J and K on the outer sides of the joists D and E and the making of the central portion H of the hangerof greater depth than the other parts so as to give a greater stiffness and a better resistance to the weights to be applied thereto; the greater depth being se curedby twisting the strap. This style of hanger may be applied by forming its side portions J and K vertical clear to the upper end and locating them in position and subsequently bending the hooks L across the upper edges of the joists. This same method may be applied to the hangers of the type shown in Fig. 1. Or the hangers of Fig. 2. may be introduced over the ends of the joists and bottom board; and the same is true of the hangers of Figs. 8 and 9.

Fig. 8 shows the application of the invention where the ceiling levels M and N are different at opposite sides of the girder A. The upper edges of the joists D and E will also be at different levels and the vertical portions J and K of the hanger will be made of correspondingly different lengths.

Fig. 4E shows .the manner of applying the invention where the concrete 0 of the main portion of the floor does not extend to. the bottoms of the beams. In this case the joists D and E for the girder A will extend below the bottoms of the beams as before and a similar supplementary arrangement may be provided for boxing in the parts of the beams which extend below the plane of the ceilings proper. The hanger is the same as in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows the concrete 0 at the top only as in Fig. 4- and shows the joists D and E extending clear up to the ceiling level proper. In this case the vertical side portions J and K of the hanger may extend up to the continuous upper edges of the joists or holes may be provided at suitable levels in the joists so as to form special upper edges P upon which rest the hooks L. Or where the distance to the continuous upper edge; of the joists is not great such edgemay be notched to permit the use of a hangerwith a short vertical portion.

Fig. 6 shows an application of the invention to the boxing in of a pair of girders A, A or a so-called double girder by means of joists D and E extending up only to the bottom of" the concrete below the beams, al-

though the ceiling of the main body of concrete O is somewhat above this level. The hanger is substantially the same as in Fig. 1 except forthe greater span of the central portion H; and two bottomboards G, G are shown to make up the necessary width.

Fig. 7 shows the application of the invention to a similar double girder A, A with the ceiling level of the concrete 0 above the base of the beams and with the joists D and E projecting clear to the ceiling level and provided with openings to form upper edges P for engagement by the hooks L as in Fig. 5. I

Fig. 8 shows a variation of the hanger which may be used with advantage inthe case of a very deep protecting layer of concrete under the girder. The bottom board G is level with the bottoms of the joists D and E so that the vertical side portions J and K of the hanger may be passed around the outside of the joists, the hooks L being bent inward. This construction serves not only to hold up the bottom board, but to hold in the side boards or joists against the outward pressure of the concrete. With the type of hanger shown in Fig. 1 the depending extension or end M of the hook though not essential is extremely useful in holding in the joists. With the construction of Figs. 2 and 8 the location of the vertical portions J and K of the hanger serves the same purpose and also holds in the lower portions of the joists more perfectly than dothe hangers of Fig. 1; and in this case the depending extensions M ofthe hooks L are- I have not illustrated all the combinations possible for the several variants of the hooks L, vertical portions J, K and horizontal portions H of the hangers, and of the location and dimensions and construction of the joists and bottom board; but it will be understood that the. features shown in the several figures are in general adapted to be combined in a single structure in any combination of variants desired or best adapted for the work in hand. Therefore, though I have described with great particularity of detail certain specific embodiments of my invention, yet it is not to be understood therefrom that the invention is restricted to the particular embodiments disclosed. Various modifications may be made in detail, and in the arrangement and combination of the parts by those skilled in the art without departure from the invention.

lVhat I claim is:

1. Means for molding concrete about the projecting lower flange of a floor girder, said means including in combination joists forming the sides of a mold and located in planes alongside of the girder and supported from said girder with their upper edges at a determined level, a bottom board lying below the girder and forming the bottom of such mold and hangers engaging the underside of said board and having two ends projecting upward from the edges of said board and provided with hooks e11- gaging upper edges of said joists to support the board therefrom at a distance below the girder which is determined by the lengths 3 of said ends independently of the depths of the joists, said hooks being readily detachable from and attachable to said joists, and

the board being removable from the hangers, so that the hangers may first be hooked over the joists and the boards then laid thereon.

2, Means for molding concrete about the projecting lower flange of a floor girder, said means including in combination joists forming the sides of a mold and located in planes alongside of the girder and supported from said girder with their upper edges at a determined level, a bottom board lying below the girder and between said joists and forming the bottom of such mold and hangers having each a central'portion H engaging the underside of said board and vertical portions J and K projecting upward from the edges of said board and provided with hooks L engaging upper edges of said joists to support the board therefrom at a distance below the girder which is determined by the lengths of said ends independently of the depths of the joists, the hooks being extended and bent downward over the opposite sides of the joists to hold the upper edges of the latter against lateral movement.

3. Means for molding concrete about the projecting lower flange of a floor girder,

said means including in combination joists forming the sides of a mold and located in planes alongside of the girder and supported from said girder with their upper edges at a determined level, a bottom board lying below the girder and forming the bottom of such mold and hangers engaging the underside of said board and having two ends projecting upward from the edges of said board and provided with,hooks engaging upper edges of said joists to support the board therefrom at a distance below the girder which is determined by the lengths of said ends independently of the depths of the joists, said hooks being readily detachable from and attachable to said joists, and the board being removable from the hangers, so that the hangers may first be hooked over the joists and the board then laid thereon, and a platform supported from said joists at the sides of the girder and above said bottom board to form a centering for concrete between the girders.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ADIN G. PIERCE. Witnesses:

KENNETH R. HALSTEAD, D. ANTHONY USINA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

